​Antiguan Food: ​Top 35 Traditional Savory Food, Sweets and Drinks

Antiguan Food: Top 35 Traditional Savory Food, Sweets and Drinks

8/28/2023

Once you have touched down on this beautiful tropical island, you have to try the food. It will be a shame if you leave Antigua without trying one of their many national savory food, sweets, or drinks.

Antigua's cuisine is a melting pot of African, Indian, Caribbean, and British influences, joined to create some of the most delicious meals.

Savory

Fungee

Main ingredients: cornmeal, water, salt, *okra (*optional)

One of Antigua's national dishes is Fungee, which is made entirely from cornmeal. Locals often add okra and pair it with saltfish, troba, and fried plantain.

Ducana

Main ingredients: sweet potato/yams, sugar, spices (nutmeg, essence, cinnamon), *pumpkin, *coconut (*optional)

In some Caribbean islands, Ducana is considered a dessert, but in Antigua, locals have it for lunch or dinner. You can also pair this dish with Saltfish and Troba.

Seasoned Rice

Main ingredients: rice, pickled meat (beef, pork), fresh vegetable seasoning, *red peas (*optional)

This one-pot dish is slightly salty due to the addition of pickled meat. The meat options range from chicken, pickled beef, or pork. Some other additions include peas and fresh vegetables.

Troba (Chop Up)

Main ingredients: eggplant, butter, *pumpkin, *okra, *spinach (*optional)

Troba is a vegetable puree who's main ingredient is eggplant (or Aubergine). Some add pumpkin, which gives a creamier and sometimes sweet flavor. You can find this dish next to both breakfast and lunch meals.

Bread

Main ingredients: flour, yeast, water, salt, sugar, vegetable lard

Not your typical slice of bread or sourdough. Antigua's bread is oval-shaped, with pointed ends. It is buttery with a crunchy outside and soft inside. Bread is used to make sandwiches or can be dipped in stews.

Fried Dumpling (Johnny Cakes)

Main ingredients: flour, water, butter, baking powder, salt, sugar

If you've ever had fried dough, fried dumpling is something that you must try. Some make this fried dough a little sweet, others savory.

Roti

Main ingredients: roti shell (flour, water, butter, salt), meat, potatoes, curry powder, salt, pepper, cumin

Roti's ethnic roots hail from the Indian culture that has settled in the Caribbean. It's similar to naan and can be stuffed with curry chicken, beef, shrimp, or conch.

Goat Water

Main ingredients: goat, fresh herbs, onions, water, cloves, *dumplings (flour, water, sugar) (*optional)

Goat Water is a mixture of a stew/ soup who's main ingredient is goat meat. This stew is slowly simmered to create tender chunks of meat. Goat Water's other ingredients range based on the chef's liking. You can add as much or little additions.

Maw

Main ingredients: beef tripe, thyme, salt, cucumber, dried herbs, dried seasonings

Maw is a beef tripe stew found on Saturday mornings in Antigua. This dish ranges in spice level depending on the chef. It can be found at small shops along the roads or in main town areas. Locals usually pair it with bread and eat it on the go.

Rice Pudding (Black Pudding)

Main ingredients: beef sausage casing, rice, pepper, salt, herbs

This dish is a type of sausage stuffed with rice and herbs. Its origins are from Britain, but you can find it on Saturdays in Antigua. Often it is bought together with Maw and Souse to create a perfect weekend meal.

Souse

Main ingredients: pig feet, thyme, salt, cucumber, scotch bonnet peppers, onions

Souse can be considered either a broth or a stew. It contains pickled pork and other vegetables and herbs. It can also be found on Saturdays and is often eaten with slices of bread.

Pepperpot

Main ingredients: eggplant, green papaya, eddoe leafs, pickled meat, okra, pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato, *dumpling, *fungee

Pepperpot is another national dish of Antigua. It's a soup mixture of dark leafy greens, meat, and other vegetables. Pepperpot would not be considered a standard side dish. It can take a couple of hours to cook this deep, rich-flavored hearty meal.

Bullfoot Soup

Main ingredients: cow heel, water, potatoes, dumplings, carrots, fresh herbs, dried seasonings, *corn (*optional)

In Antigua, where the temperature hovers between 75°- 80° F (21°-26° C), relying on the cold weather to enjoy soup is almost impossible, that is why soups are enjoyed without limitations. Bullfoot Soup's primary ingredient is vegetables and cow feet.

Sweets

Sugar Cake

Main ingredients: coconut, sugar, ginger, essence, *nutmeg, *food coloring (*optional)

If you are a lover of coconut, you must try this sweet treat. True to their name sugar cakes are made mostly of sugar. Food dye is then added to create brightly colored sweets.

Tamarind Stew

Main ingredients: tamarind, water, sugar, spices

Even though this dish has stew in its name, it's actually sweet. Tamarind is shelled and slowly simmered in water and sugar to create a semi-thick stew.

Bun

Main ingredients: flour, sugar, yeast, spices, raisins, water, lard *cherries, *coconut (*optional)

Bun has a very pointed name. It is a bun made from spiced dough and is often eaten with hard yellow cheese and butter. This dish is considered sweet compared to other starches on the island and can be eaten at any time of the day. Jamaicans call it "Spiced Bun" and they eat it during Easter and Christmas.

Tamarind Balls

Main ingredients: tamarind, sugar

Sweet and sour has never been better friends with this dish. Tamarind is shelled, and its seeds are removed. It is then formed into a ball and rolled into granulated sugar.

Fudge

Main ingredients: condensed / evaporated milk, sugar, butter, *essence (*optional)

Caramel with a twist. Fudge is melted sugar with the addition of butter to create a crumbly dessert that melts in your mouth.

Bread Pudding

Main ingredients: day old bread, butter, milk, sugar, Essence, *raisins, spices (*optional)

Ever had day-old bread and wanted to repurpose it? Bread Pudding is that dish, and it highlights the English roots in the Caribbean. Shredded bread, milk, and spices are baked to form this filling dessert.

Currants / Coconut Roll

Main ingredients: flour, shortening, butter, salt, water, coconut or currants, spices

This is another dish for coconut or raisin lovers. It's flaky, buttery, and slightly sweet, which makes it easy to eat at all times of the day. Coconut and Currants Rolls have the same crusts but different respective fillings.

Buntart

Main ingredients: flour, sugar, yeast, spices, raisins, water, lard, coconut 

Buntart uses the dough from Bun, plus a spiced coconut filling, baked to create this fluffy treat.

Seafood

Saltfish

Main ingredients: salted fish, water, fresh vegetables, vegetable oil or butter, fresh herb

This side dish pairs with almost everything and can be eaten at all times of the day. If you haven't guessed it from its name, saltfish is a dried, salted ling fish that is then sautéed with fresh vegetables. You can find this dish at Sunday Morning Breakfast in many Antiguan homes.

Lobster

Whether over a charcoal grill or boiled over a wooden fire, you must try a lobster from Antigua. Spiny Lobsters are found in the Caribbean water, Gulf of Mexico and other minimal locations. Lobster has its own delicious flavor and doesn't need to rely on other herbs or spices.

Conch

Conch belongs to the same family of snails. If you are familiar with the Caribbean, you have seen the beautiful shells in homes, restaurants, and on beaches. The meat can be enjoyed in different ways and can be found in Roti, next to some rice, or mixed in seafood pasta.

Shad

Shad is another type of fish that is enjoyed in Antigua. It is a sautéed, salted, pickled fish with a tomato-based sauce poured over it. The tomato sauce creates a perfect balance of salt, and savory.

Shell Fish (Cow fish)

If you hear an Antiguan saying they are making "shellfish", they are referring to the cowfish. The fish has an outer exterior resembling a hard shell (hence the name). Locals stuff the fish with stuffing and fresh vegetables and then put it to bake.

Drinks

Ginger Beer

Main ingredients: ginger, water, sugar, vanilla essence

This drink is enjoyed at various festivities but can also be used to ease an upset stomach. The amount of ginger used in a pitcher will determine this drink's heat level. More ginger = higher heat.

Sorrel

Main ingredients: sorrel bud, water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, clove, *ginger *rum (*optional)

Sorrel is made using the bud of the sorrel plant. It is seeped in hot water to create a rich dark red color. Sorrel is often enjoyed around Christmas and Easter. Some seep sorrel for days to give it a deeper flavor.

Soursop

Main ingredients: soursop, water, *milk, nutmeg, vanilla essence (*optional)

Soursop is slightly sour and occasionally sweet. The outside is green with soft spikes, and the inside is white. This fruit can be enjoyed as is and can also be made into a delicious drink. You can find Soursop at local shops, school yards, and street vendors.

Wadadli

Wadadli is a locally made beer whose name comes from the indigenous people of Antigua. Wadadli translates to "our own", and like any other beer, it is best enjoyed ice cold.

Peanut Punch

Main ingredients: peanut butter (or peanuts), milk, water, sugar, essence, nutmeg

If you are a peanut butter fan, you must try Peanut Punch before leaving the island. This creamy peanut drink is made from fresh peanuts, milk, and nutmeg. Even though the name has "punch" in it, it is a nonalcoholic drink.

Bush Tea (Lemongrass)

Main ingredients: lemongrass, water, sugar

The name "bush tea" is used to describe many teas of Antigua. However, the most common one is lemongrass. It is sold in bulk at the market and is seeped in hot water. Antiguans are more tea drinkers than coffee (although that has begun to slowly change with time). Tea is often enjoyed in the morning before school and work.

Rum (Cavalier, English Harbour)

If you like rum, you must have some in the Caribbean. You can have it straight, put it in a cocktail, or pour it over cake or ice cream. However you like to enjoy it- try Cavalier and English Harbour Rum - both Antiguan-made.

Mauby

Main ingredients: mauby branch, water, sugar

If your stomach is feeling unsettled and you are looking for a natural cleanse, Mauby is your answer. Mauby is made by seeping a tree branch, be warned, it has a bitter aftertaste.

Raspberry

Main ingredients: raspberry, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, water, essence

Not to be confused with the reddish fruit grown in the west. West Indian Raspberries are sour and green. Raspberry can be made into a juice but is also enjoyed in another sweet treat called "Raspberry Stew" which is nearly identical to Tamarind Stew.

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